Real estate news

• CFPB pushes Zillow to settle on RESPA violations

  08-08-2017 23:54
  
  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau concluded its investigation into whether or not Zillow violated Section 8 of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act and Section 1036 of the Consumer Financial Protection Act. Zillow gave an update on the investigation during its earnings call on Tuesday, revealing that the CFPB invited the company to discuss a possible settlement. Zillow recorded a strong quarter, especially when it comes to mortgage revenue.
  
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• 5 Cs of a Successful Farming Strategy With RPR®

  08-08-2017 22:06
  NAR PULSE—Nowhere is there a more streamlined single source of data and reports that fulfill every aspect of a successful farming campaign. From targeting and analyzing the marketability of potential neighborhoods to resources that help you “break the ice” with homeowners, it’s all here with Realtors Property Resource® (RPR®). Get started.
  Every Child Deserves a Great Future
  Join NAR’s partnership with BGCA to help provide great futures by finding your local
  
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• Staying Ahead of the Competition

  08-08-2017 22:05
  In the following interview, Gia Arvin, REALTOR® with Matchmaker Realty in Gainesville, Fla., discusses the brokerage’s charitable initiatives, marketing strategies, and more.
  Region Served: North Central, Fla.
  Years in Real Estate: 13
  Number of Offices: 1
  Number of Agents: 17
  Best Tip for Getting the Right Listing Price: I take the seller to tour their competition, and nine times out of 10, they come to the correct listing price without me having to convince them.
  Best Time Management
  
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• Homeowners Continue to Overestimate Value, Except in Hot Markets

  08-08-2017 22:04
  Homeowners continue to overestimate the value of their homes, except in hot markets, according to the latest Quicken Loans’ HPPI.
  Appraised home values came in 1.55 percent below what homeowners expected in July, according to the latest Quicken Loans’ National Home Price Perception Index (HPPI). The latest Quicken Loans National Home Value Index (HVI) shows appraised values rose 4.21 percent year-over-year.
  “The home appraisal is one of the most important data points in the mor
  
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• Realtor.com Results Summit Zeroes In on Agent Productivity

  08-08-2017 22:03
  Realtor.com®’s upcoming annual Results Summit, “Break / Through,” will zero in on agent and team productivity, with more than 50 top sales professionals revealing insights for success. The two-day event takes places Sept. 18-19 at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Register.
  Breakout sessions at the event cover topics including lead generation and conversion, developing engaging content for today’s social world, expanding the digital footprint, and creating dynamic listin
  
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• Is Facebook going head to head with Zillow for listings?

  08-08-2017 21:56
  
  Tech giants continue to slide into the housing space. The latest appears to be Facebook, which has ventured into Zillow’s territory, launching a new campaign of ads made specifically for real estate professionals to market their listings. Facebook explained that real estate is an area it is betting big on. However, it’s unclear how this new move will affect its current relationship with Zillow.
  
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• Better Mortgage locks in approval to lend in Florida

  08-08-2017 21:13
  
  New York City-based Better Mortgage added another market to its wheelhouse, announcing it is now licensed to lend in Florida. The online lender announced that the approval means it is officially licensed to do business in 12 states, along with Washington, D.C.
  
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• Here's why you should be bundling origination services

  08-08-2017 20:27
  
  Lenders looking to reduce per-loan origination costs should consider the benefits of bundling origination services with Chronos Solutions. The efficiency of bundling with Chronos not only yields average cost savings of 15-20%, but improves quality throughout the loan process. And unlike some larger companies, these benefits are delivered without sacrificing customer service.
  
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• California landlords settle over alleged fair housing violation

  08-08-2017 20:16
  
  A California landlord agreed to pay its former tenant and the Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California a combined $72,000 over fair housing discrimination allegations. The fair housing group alleged that the woman, who lived at the property for more than 15 years, was discriminated against through retaliation due to the presence of her assistance animal.
  
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• Recent Real Estate Transactions in New York City - New York Times

  08-08-2017 19:53
  New York Times
  Recent Real Estate Transactions in New York City
  New York Times
  A real estate investment firm has purchased these contiguous four-story 1931 walk-ups, with a total of 25,600 square feet and 34 apartments — two studios, 22 one-bedrooms, eight two-bedrooms and two three-bedrooms. Twenty-eight apartments are ...
  
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• Median home prices climbed nearly 20% in Northwest metros in July

  08-08-2017 18:54
  
  Median home prices shot up in the Northwest MLS area by nearly 20% in some metros. Although inventory shortages continue to persist, the Northwest added slightly more new listings in July than in July 2016.
  
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• PHH reaches $75 million settlement with DOJ over False Claims Act violations

  08-08-2017 18:41
  
  PHH Corp. announced it settled with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve issues over alleged False Claims act violations. PHH said it settled with the DOJ on behalf of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and separately with the DOJ on behalf of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The settlement resulted in PHH having to pay a whopping $75 million. Click the headline to read more.
  
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• Movement Mortgage CEO launches Movement Bank

  08-08-2017 17:25
  
  Movement Mortgage CEO and former NFL tight end Casey Crawford announced a new initiative outside out his lending company, revealing Movement Bank. On Tuesday, the CEO unveiled a complete rebranding of the former First State Bank in Danville, Virginia. But while Crawford is involved in both companies, they emphasized the two are owned and operated independently of each other.
  
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• Early-stage delinquencies hit lowest level in 17 years

  08-08-2017 16:55
  
  Delinquencies continued their downward slide in May, hitting decade or even nearly two-decade lows. The latest report from CoreLogic shows a prolonged period of relatively tight underwriting criteria has driven delinquencies down to pre-crisis levels across many parts of the country.
  
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• The democratization of data

  08-08-2017 06:01
  
  [Commentary] We need to take a page from the proven model of home price indices and put it to work in other data-heavy aspects of the mortgage industry. Consider the possibilities. Imagine an index that can match the granularity of an HPI like Black Knight’s, but – instead of looking at home prices – is focused on other critical factors; loan originations or mortgage performance, for example.
  
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• Black Knight Financial Services reveals new mortgage and housing market index suite

  08-08-2017 06:01
  Black Knight Financial Services’ Data & Analytics division revealed the Black Knight Index Suite, a series of indices to provide insights into both the housing and mortgage markets. The indices utilize Black Knight’s property and mortgage datasets in order to provide benchmarks for measuring housing and mortgage market performance.
  
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• How To Guide Out-Of-Control Real Estate Agents Back To Productivity - Inman.com

  08-08-2017 02:18
  Inman.com
  How To Guide Out-Of-Control Real Estate Agents Back To Productivity
  Inman.com
  SAN FRANCISCO — “If you have 30 agents, you have 30-out-of-control agents,” said Climb Real Estate's Eugene Pak at today's Indie Broker Summit, part of the ...and more »
  
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• No summer slowdown for Kitsap's real estate market - Kitsap Sun (blog)

  08-08-2017 01:11
  Kitsap Sun (blog)
  No summer slowdown for Kitsap's real estate market
  Kitsap Sun (blog)
  New homes for sale in the Freestone Ashford Park near Olympic High School. (Photo: Larry Steagall / Kitsap Sun). Kitsap's real estate market is skipping summer vacation. Sales activity and home prices remained elevated in July, at a time when the ...
  
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• Mnuchin Made at Least $15 Million on Entertainment, Real Estate ... - Bloomberg

  08-08-2017 00:36
  Bloomberg
  Mnuchin Made at Least $15 Million on Entertainment, Real Estate ...
  Bloomberg
  U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made at least $15 million from his entertainment and real estate interests that he sold to comply with federal conflict of ...and more »
  
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• This School District Asked Real Estate Agents to Help Rekindle Its Reputation - KQED

  08-08-2017 00:07
  KQED
  This School District Asked Real Estate Agents to Help Rekindle Its Reputation
  KQED
  Brian McDonald was looking for a new home several years ago in the wealthy city of Pasadena. He says when he told the real estate agent that he had five school-age children, she told him not to enroll in Pasadena's public schools. That was pretty ...and more »
  
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• What are the next big trends in real estate technology? - Inman.com

  08-08-2017 00:04
  What are the next big trends in real estate technology?
  Inman.com
  Mobile is still ultra-hot and marketing automation is still on the rise -- but real estate leaders aren't as bullish on the future of virtual reality (VR) or artificial intelligence (AI) emerging technology in the industry. Those are a few of the ...
  
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• Millennials Find Moving Back Home Pays Off

  08-08-2017 00:00
  Don’t judge them for moving in with their parents. The evidence is starting to show that these young people have made a smart financial...
  
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• Midwest Is Best—for Kids

  08-08-2017 00:00
  Learn what this region of the country has to offer young families that others lack. 
  
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• Don’t Ever Let Your Sellers Utter These Words

  08-08-2017 00:00
  You made it all the way to closing day, but it’s not over yet. Your client can still stick their foot in their mouth and jeopardize the...
  
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• 5 Financial To-Dos for First-Time Buyers

  08-08-2017 00:00
  Here’s a checklist to help home shoppers get their finances in order before they start their first house hunt. 
  
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